You Will Never Know
by Bookworm Till The End
Summary: Max and her flock are still on the run, trying harder than ever to stay alive, until Ari changes everything and they face their toughest challenge yetwhen their own leader breaks down.  Read AN inside for warnings and stuff.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer- I wish I owned something, but sadly, I don't.

Warnings- Rating is for touchy subjects later on in the story and for some language.

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Prologue

Some say that it is not death or darkness that people fear; it is only the unknown that lies in the death and darkness that we fear.

I agree.

But, what we seem to fear even more is the known doom that lies in our future, and the fact that we cannot avoid it. This is something that I have experienced first hand.

For me and my family, living in fear is a given. We are in a permanent state of paranoia; not something most kids our ages have to deal with.

And the reason for it is most certainly different from that of all the others.

You see, my family is more like a flock. We stick together through everything, and we have accepted that we can only depend on each other, or die.

And we all have wings.

Fourteen years ago, a little baby girl was experimented on by mad (as in crazy) scientists, and became the first successful human avian hybrid to ever live. I was that baby girl.

Since then, at least five other babies have gone through the same thing for various amounts of time.

My name is Maximum Ride (Max if you don't have a death wish), and you will never know the hell I've seen. I'm fourteen years old, and I spent the first ten years of my life in a cage in a laboratory in California, being experimented on and, basically, tortured. I stand about five foot eleven inches and weigh barely 100 pounds with long sandy blonde hair and pale skin. I can fly at supersonic speeds that not even my other family members can. I am the leader of my flock and also the oldest.

Next is Fang. Fang is an extremely handsome, fourteen year old boy, and if you don't know him like I do, you will never know how he feels. Despite being almost four months younger than I, he stands roughly 4 inches taller and weighs slightly more than I do. He dresses in all black all the time, which matches his long black hair and olive skin perfectly. He has no powers as of yet.

Iggy is third in the line-up being only 6 months younger than I am. For a blind guy, he does pretty well in the screwed up life that we all live. It's kind of ironic that the blind guy is the most conspicuous of us all, being even taller than Fang and thin, even by our standards. His bright red hair is a huge contrast to his extremely pale skin, and his blue eyes always appear misted over, since the whitecoat (scientists) had an accidental slip of the knife and changed his life forever. Despite his disability, he has extremely heightened senses, making him the best watchdog even without the use of his eyes.

After Iggy comes Nudge, our eleven year old motor mouth. Nudge has dark brown hair that comes naturally with her dark skin that curls tightly. Just as a fair warning, Nudge is as talkative as Fang is quiet. Don't say I didn't warn you. She can sense human presence in inanimate objects, which comes in pretty handy when your trying to find the password for a computer.

Gazzy (or the Gasman) is our youngest male flock member at only eight years old. He and his younger sister are the only true blood relatives in our family. His name says it all-or most of it at least. He has nearly deadly gas and can imitate any sound or voice that he hears. This is the source of many of the fights amongst Fang and Iggy. Gazzy and Iggy are a dynamic duo, in which they build bombs that come in very handy during fights but have also caused major issues.

Last, but not least, is my baby, Angel. Obviously, she's not my real baby being six years old now. She and her brother share blonde hair and blue eyes that can make me do almost anything. Not that she would need her eyes. Angel is a mind reader. She can also control minds, breathe under water, and talk to fish. Not bad for a six year old, huh?

Each one of us started out at the School (the lab where we were created) but escaped with the help of one of the whitecoats, Jeb Batchelder, four years ago. Two years later, when I was twelve, he disappeared, and the weight of the world fell on my lap, only for him to show up later on as a traitor.

Then, two years after his 'disappearance', Erasers showed up and flipped everything upside down. After four years of peace, our vacation was over, and the games had begun once again.

Now, the four of us are on the run, doing whatever we must to stay alive. And, now, not only are our lives at stake, but the lives of the whole world, for I have been chosen to save the world.

Oh, joy.

Once again, my name is Max, and you will never know the hell that my flock and I have seen.

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I know that it sounds kind of depressing but it won't be so much next chapter.

Review people! My sanity depends upon it!


	2. An Uninvited Guest

Disclaimer- I own absolutely nothing!

Sorry about the typos last chapter. I do know that there are six kids in the flock plus Total. It was an oopsie. Please Forgive me!

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Chapter 1- An Uninvited Guest

It was 5 a.m. and I was dead dog tired.

Yesterday was a hard day for us all. There was a mass Eraser attack and we had just barely come out of it alive. If it hadn't been that we were fighting in the air where we were at an advantage, we wouldn't have.

Anyways, the younger kids weren't in the greatest shape, and us older ones weren't either- but we could stick it out without too much difficulty. I had made the executive decision to let them all sleep through the night, leaving me on watch the entire time.

The things I do for the ones I love…

I knew that I shouldn't have stayed up all night, but I thought that it was the right thing to do, so, I did. Fang was going to kill me.

All through the night, I had been extremely alert and cautious, but now, my adrenaline rush from the night was fading and leaving behind a trail of exhaustion. Just my luck.

Just then, movement caught my eye and I looked up into the dark chocolate eyes that were locked on me. I involuntarily shivered at the look in them when he realized what I had done. They told me, 'This will be discussed later.' Damn.

I looked away to watch Iggy slowly sit up from his position on the ground. He blinked a few times before obviously sensing the tension around us and asking, "Who was on watch before I woke up?"

"Max," Fang replied before I could open my mouth. That was probably lucky though, because I don't know that I could have suppressed a yawn, which might set Fang off.

"Oh," Iggy replied before getting up and digging through his backpack for something to feed us all for breakfast.

I then decided to get the others up and ready for another day of a typical bird kid life. Yeah, right.

Eventually, I gave up on waking them affectionately and took a big breath before yelling, "BREAKFAST!"

They all woke up to that.

Iggy threw us all some energy bars and bottles of water and gave Total an apple. The kids and Total groaned but I kept silent, concentrating on eating; I would need all the energy I could get today.

An hour later, we all lifted off, me going first in case something was up there waiting to ambush us. I waited until everyone had passed me before shooting to the front of the line-up to perform my leaderly duties.

Angel flew up to me moments later. "So, what are we going to do now Max?" she asked.

Then, Nudge piped up, "Yeah, Max, what are we doing? Where are we going? Can we get a permanent home yet? Or are we still trying to save the world? Can we go back to Florida or-?"

"NUDGE!" we all yelled, effectively shutting her up. "Give me some time to think guys. I have a headache. Just keep following me and I'll let you know my plan when I perfect it," I said. That last part was kind of an understatement, I had no plan to perfect, but I wasn't stupid enough to tell them that.

An hour later, I had an idea. "Hey, guys, what do you think of going to Florida again, just not Orlando?" I asked to the whole group. Everyone but Fang cheered. "Fang?" I looked to him.

He shrugged. "Do your leader thing Max, and I'll do the follower thing," he said impassively.

I was kind of hurt by his words, but not enough to mention it now, I would wait till later to bring it up with him.

We had slept in Oklahoma last night, so the flight to Florida took roughly 3 hours including pit stops for food and bathroom breaks. We flew all the way to the southernmost coat of the state and crashed; or at least, I almost did.

For those of you who don't know, flying takes a lot of energy, which is part of the reason why we are so skinny. Another reason for it is that we have hollow bones, making us much lighter than the average human.

Being as tired as I was, the flying really took it out of me, but I thought that I probably covered it up pretty well, seeing as no one commented. Fang just glared at me. I sent him a look that said, 'Later.' He nodded almost imperceptibly.

We walked a short way to a hotel; I figured that we had earned it. The first one we came on was nearly empty (lucky us) and was pretty cheap. Unfortunately, the guy behind the counter was sort of fond of me.

"Well, what's a pretty lady like you doing in a dump like this?" he asked. Oh, Jeez.

"I would like to get one room please," I said, ignoring that fact that he was hitting on me.

"Here you," he handed me a card. "It's on the house," he said, and then he slipped me a card with a phone number written on it, "and this is for if you need anything, and I mean ANYTHING at all."

Fang stepped forward and put his arm around my waist, while at the same time taking the card off of the counter. "Appreciate the offer, dude, really," he said, "Come on, Baby, let's go," he said and then tugged me toward the hallway that led to our room. The kids and Iggy had been trying to stifle their laughter the whole time and Total was doing his version of a dog grin. I had to admit, the look on the receptionist's face was pretty priceless.

When we got to the room, the kids wanted to go swimming, so Iggy volunteered to take them, leaving Fang and I alone.

Once the door had closed and we could no longer hear them walking down the hallway, Fang turned to me. I was sitting on the bed, waiting for him to rip me a new one. I was surprised and confused when he said, "Go ahead and sleep, Max, I'll stay here to watch your back."

Then I understood why he had stayed behind. He knew that I would never sleep if someone wasn't around to watch out for me out of paranoia. I was glad that he knew me so well.

I nodded my head and lay down and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

**Fang POV**

I was mad, yes, but I knew that it wouldn't be fair to fight with her when she wasn't up to fighting back. So I let her sleep.

About twenty minutes later, my head shot up from looking at my laptop on which I was updating my blog, when the window of our room was smashed. Max jumped up and got into a fighting position, just as I had done a split second before. I didn't even have time to blink before the room was swarming with Erasers. I immediately began fighting.

The walls in this hotel were great about not letting sound carry- good for other people, but not so much for us. Within minutes, Max and I were both overpowered. She was being held with her arm twisted behind her back and tears were streaming down her cheeks from desperation and pain. I was being held against the wall by my throat with the rest of my body being pinned by the Eraser's body.

Just then, Ari hopped through the window and approached Max slowly, a lecherous grin spread across his horribly deformed face. If he touched her, I would kill him. What kind of a sick bastard would dare touch her intimately at all when she didn't want to be; or any girl for that matter. I was scared and angry for Max. She seemed to feeling the same way.

Once he was close enough, she spit in his face and he back-handed her, sending her sprawling to the floor, hitting the side of the bed in the process. She lay on the floor gasping for breath. I was struggling to get free; she was exhausted and overpowered greatly, and I knew that if I didn't step in, she was doomed. I saw red.

"I once told you that I like 'em feisty. I think you're taking advantage of that Maxie. Don't play with fire," he said to her.

She tried to jump up, but was stopped when he hit her again. He seemed to want to play with fire, because I was losing it with each passing moment.

"Get away from me Ari! I don't like you like that! Actually, I don't like you at all," she yelled at him.

He reached down and grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her up so that her feet were about a foot off the ground. Oh, HELL no!

"That's okay Baby, I'll get what I want, whether you like it or want it or not. Just remember that struggling only gets you more pain. Personally, I hope you fight me," he said.

I watched as Max's eyes widened in fear and realization. He was going to rape her, and no one was there to help her.

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Cliffie! Will he get what he wants? Will Fang save her? Where are the other?? Review, because reviewing makes me write more. 


	3. So Sorry

Disclaimer-I own nothing.

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Chapter 2

**Fang POV**

They were going to make me watch. Key word being 'were'. When I saw the fear in her eyes and the way her muscles tensed, I started struggling even harder. But, when she started screaming, "No! Not again, please!" I lost it. They had done this before. Oh, HELL no!

Suddenly, my fist had made contact with Ari's face. My anger had been channeled into energy that I threw full force into my fight. My movements were blurred, I moved so quickly, and Ari was down and out for the count in moments.

The other Erasers had backed into the wall, eyes bugging watching me with an indescribable horror. Low in my throat, I growled, "You have exactly one second before you all end up like THAT thing," in my deadliest voice. No joke, in about ¼ of a second, they were all out the window and the room was silent, save Max's quiet sobs.

I turned to her and practically flew to her side, and reached out to touch her. She flinched away and I drew my hand away. Just then, Ari started to cough violently and I got up to move him.

**Max POV**

Lights. Flashing lights. White light. That's all that I could see. Once again, I was 9 years old, trying to stop an Eraser from raping me. I was scared. It was like reliving it all over again.

All that I could feel was pain and fear. I wanted to get up and run but I was bleeding from places that I didn't know bled that heavily and it hurt to breathe. I think that I was hyperventilating, now that I look back.

He reached out to me again. The Eraser did. I moved back against the wall once again in a futile attempt to protect myself from more pain and fear. Surprisingly, he pulled back and walked away, towards a sound that I recognized, but couldn't identify.

Slowly, very slowly, I came back to the present. Ari was going to rape me. But, wait, Ari isn't here. I can here someone shouting. Fang.

I started to bawl, not realizing what was going on. I watched Fang's figure run back over to me and, on reflex, I shrank away again. I couldn't help it.

He crouched down a few feet away from me and spoke.

"Max? Max, listen to me. It's Fang, Babe. Just me. Please, let me touch you. Calm down, please," he continued to talk in a soothing voice. I found myself relaxing and giving into the fear and starting to cry harder. He kept coming closer, talking softly and calmly until he was able to touch me.

His hand slowly reached out until it came into contact with my face. Cautiously, I lent forward and fell into him, holding onto his shoulders and shirt as though I would die if I let go. Who knows, maybe I would?

I sat, lying in his arms for a long time. It didn't matter how long as long as he never let go of me. Eventually, my eyelids started to droop closed and I fell into a fitful sleep.

**Fang POV**

My God. What had they done to her? She broke down in my arms, clinging to me as though I was her last life line. Hell, maybe I was. As I tried to sooth her, I realized how much I really cared for this girl who had been my reason for living for so long.

As a kid, Max had kept me from giving up during our time in the school. Every time a whitecoat came for her I knew they were hurting her. I needed to protect her. In training scenarios where we were paired, the whitecoats were terrified of my over protectiveness for her. Back then, I thought it was just friendship.

As the years progressed, I found myself looking at her more constantly, trying to keep a hold of even the slightest bit of faith and hope.

She had given that to me.

When the rest of the flock was deposited in our lab, their cages put near ours, I felt protective over everyone. I was the oldest boy, and the kids had always looked at me for a father. Especially after Jeb had rescued us.

None of the kids trusted him too much. Even after he had rescued us from the school, there was still some doubt, some paranoia that made us cautious of him. As we got older, however, Max started to trust him, and the rest of us followed suit, being the faithful followers that we were.

Max had always been everyone's mother. She held them when they cried, made them laugh when they were mad, put band-aids on scrapes, and kept them safe to the best of her ability.

I was always the father. I helped Max out when she needed someone that wasn't relying on her totally. I was her rock, and despite the fact that she never knew it, she was mine.

Now was my time to take care of her pain as I had always tried to do. I wouldn't let her be scared or hurt, no matter what the repercussions to myself might be. Call it a guy's instinct.

I tensed when the door slowly creaked open. I quickly but carefully lowered Max to the floor before standing up and getting ready to face anything. It was the flock, and they were all staring around the room, shock written all over they're faces.

The girls cried out when they saw Max on the floor. Even Gazzy's attempt at bravery faded slightly. Iggy just looked around. He had no idea what was going on. Angel must have told him in his mind, because he looked shocked and angry suddenly.

I walked over quickly and ushered them out the door as quickly as possible. Max had started to whimper.

"Iggy," I whispered, "go downstairs and get another room. Get the kids in there and come back here. Do it now, and do it quickly. We have an issue."

"Talk about the understatement of a century," he said through clenched teeth, obviously thinking that I had done something to Max.

"Just do it and I'll explain when you get back. Now move," I said firmly, leaving no room for argument. I turned on my heel and walked back to Max, shutting and locking the door quietly behind me.

She was shaking and tears were rolling down her cheeks. _What did they do to you, Max?_

I walked over and picked her up and put her on the bed. I laid down beside her and pulled her into my arms, rubbing the area between her wings just like she had always liked.

Minutes passed and she finally relaxed, falling into a deep sleep, interrupted only slightly by fear. When I knew she would be asleep for a while I gave into my emotions. Tears trickled down my face as I was haunted by thoughts of what could have happened and why I hadn't kept her from such a horrible thing all those years ago. I was supposed to be her rock, and I had let her down. I fell asleep, thinking repeatedly about one thing.

_I'm so sorry, Max.

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_Sorry for the late update, guys. Some super drama goin on at school, not to mention the whole actual school work part. 

I'm also sorry for the sucky and very short chappie. It was necessary and I'm tryin to figure out where I want this whole story to go. Updates will be slow, but make sure you read and review to make me type faster.


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